Dig your well before you’re thirsty.
-HARVEY MACKAY
Networking: Five Myths and Realities
Networking has a bad name. Ever visit one of those networking meetings? You’re told, ‘Arrive with a pocketful of business cards and don’t leave until they’re all gone.’ I get so desperate to escape that I stuff the free gift box with a fistful of my cards and take off!
MYTH #1: YOU MUST GIVE YOUR CARD TO EVERYONE IN THE ROOM
If people aren’t interested they won’t keep your card, let alone call you.
Reality: It is more important to get business cards than to hand them out.
After you identify a prospect, ask for their card. Mark which ones are important. When you have their card, you control the contact. Add them to your database and follow up.
MYTH #2: NETWORKING IS SELLING
The term network marketing confuses people. It is meant to. Network marketing, also known as MLM, or Multi-Level Marketing, generates sales through a vast, layered network of product representatives, each of whom is given incentive to recruit still more committed reps. MLM sales pitches can come across as vague and evasive.
Reality: Networking is marketing.
When you network you are building a network – hence the term – of people who know about you and your product. They may buy from you or help you. Networking is a long-term strategy, not a quick-sell scheme.
For more….read on Page 81
George Torok, Co-author
Secrets of Power Marketing
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
RELATIONSHIPS
The only things worth counting on are people you can count on.
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
Okay. In case you haven’t heard, marketing is about people, people, people. People make decisions – buying decisions – and anyone marketing a product should realize that. In recent years, business has changed from mass production and mass merchandising to customization to personalization, as leaders become aware that everyone wants to be treated as unique.
The faster technology moves, the more it automates our lives, and the less human contact is required. Technology gives us more choices. Too many choose to become impersonal. But the need for human contact does not diminish just because technology is changing. Therein lies the opportunity for you. Neither technology nor corporations have relationships – people do.
How can you nurture positive relationships?
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
Okay. In case you haven’t heard, marketing is about people, people, people. People make decisions – buying decisions – and anyone marketing a product should realize that. In recent years, business has changed from mass production and mass merchandising to customization to personalization, as leaders become aware that everyone wants to be treated as unique.
The faster technology moves, the more it automates our lives, and the less human contact is required. Technology gives us more choices. Too many choose to become impersonal. But the need for human contact does not diminish just because technology is changing. Therein lies the opportunity for you. Neither technology nor corporations have relationships – people do.
How can you nurture positive relationships?
- Be honest
- Be friendly
- Make others feel special
- Be consistent
- Build trust
And many more….read on Page 81
George Torok, Co-author
Friday, May 19, 2006
CREDIBILITY
I am only an average man,
but I work harder at it than the average man.
-Theodore Roosevelt
To establish and maintain your credibility you must answer the following questions for your clients and prospects (even though they may not ask the questions out loud).
Your client will ask:
George Torok, Co-author
Secrets of Power Marketing
but I work harder at it than the average man.
-Theodore Roosevelt
To establish and maintain your credibility you must answer the following questions for your clients and prospects (even though they may not ask the questions out loud).
Your client will ask:
Are you serious about your business?
Are you a contender?
Will I actually like doing business with you?
Can you really do the work?
Will you do the work to my satisfaction and on time?
Are you going to be around next month or next year when I need help?
Do I even believe you at all?
Will I regret doing business with you?
Your actions will answer those questions.
George Torok, Co-author
Secrets of Power Marketing
Monday, May 15, 2006
Harry Rosen on Power Marketing
My advice to the rising executive or budding entreprenuer is to look good, feel good and follow the Secrets of Power Marketing to market yourself in today's competitive marketplace.
Harry Rosen
Executive Chairman
Harry Rosen Inc.
Read the rest of Harry Rosen's letter
George Torok, Co-author
Secrets of Power Marketing
Harry Rosen
Executive Chairman
Harry Rosen Inc.
Read the rest of Harry Rosen's letter
George Torok, Co-author
Secrets of Power Marketing
Friday, May 12, 2006
PERCEPTIONS
A language is not a medium for messages but an organ of perception; collective, corporate perception. The discovery that languages are not channels like the telegraph, but basically forms of perception and association by perception, has been a tremendous revolution.
-Marshall McLuhan
Marketing means communicating your message. A communication is not what you say, but what is heard - and remembered. You influence the perception of a message by determining how it is expressed.
Remember when you experienced the frustration of talking to a friend or family member, only to discover later that they had completely misunderstood you? You knew what you said to them, but you didn't know what they heard, believed, assumed, or remembered. Then when you discovered the misunderstanding you had to spend even more time sorting out the mess. That little miscommunication may have cost you an opportunity, money, and time - not to mention some bad feelings.
-When a message is sent, and the receiver does not understand, who needs to change?-
The sender!
If you have communication problems with family and friends who know you and care about you, imagine the misunderstandings you will have with strangers. This chapter will give you many ideas and techniques for sending messages to the marketplace - but always from the point of view of how they are received and deciphered. Remember that. You must feel good about what you do. But it is more important that your clients and prospects feel good about what you do.
George Torok, Co-author
Secrets of Power Marketing
-Marshall McLuhan
Marketing means communicating your message. A communication is not what you say, but what is heard - and remembered. You influence the perception of a message by determining how it is expressed.
Remember when you experienced the frustration of talking to a friend or family member, only to discover later that they had completely misunderstood you? You knew what you said to them, but you didn't know what they heard, believed, assumed, or remembered. Then when you discovered the misunderstanding you had to spend even more time sorting out the mess. That little miscommunication may have cost you an opportunity, money, and time - not to mention some bad feelings.
-When a message is sent, and the receiver does not understand, who needs to change?-
The sender!
If you have communication problems with family and friends who know you and care about you, imagine the misunderstandings you will have with strangers. This chapter will give you many ideas and techniques for sending messages to the marketplace - but always from the point of view of how they are received and deciphered. Remember that. You must feel good about what you do. But it is more important that your clients and prospects feel good about what you do.
George Torok, Co-author
Secrets of Power Marketing
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Christine Magee on Power Marketing
To all entrepreneurs I urge you to follow your dreams, challenge convention and keep a copy of Secrets of Power Marketing in easy reach.
Christine Magee
President
Sleep Country Canada
Read the rest of Christine Magee's letter
Friday, May 05, 2006
Marketing comprises everything that expresses what it is that you do
You market by the products or services you sell - by their quality and style, effectiveness, or usefulness. You market by your service. Do you really serve the needs of your customers and clients? And of course, you market by your communications to others: The quality and content of your advertising or direct mail. The attitude of the people who do your cold calling. The usefulness and quality of your promotional items (like pens, calendars, and T-shirts).
Marketing is how you treat others: your staff, your customers and clients, your shareholders, your community, and the environment. It's the relationships you build. The value or caring you invest. It is even the attitude that lies behind what you do and how you communicate it. Do your employees like what you produce, or do they think it's rotten? Would you personally use it? Are you honest or deceptive in the way you advertise and market your product?
All of these factors express to the world what you think of your product or service, your customers, and yourself. And all of them get noticed. The old advertising slogan, "You tell two friends, and they'll tell two friends, and so on, and so on," truly applies for every business. It can be a slow process; but it does happen.
To some, the idea that others are talking about them or their product may sound scary. But it really is an opportunity. Think about how many ways you can market without spending any more money! The better you treat all your stakeholders - including yourself - the better your "marketing" will be. (And others will be doing it for you.)
George Torok, Co-author
Secrets of Power Marketing
Marketing is how you treat others: your staff, your customers and clients, your shareholders, your community, and the environment. It's the relationships you build. The value or caring you invest. It is even the attitude that lies behind what you do and how you communicate it. Do your employees like what you produce, or do they think it's rotten? Would you personally use it? Are you honest or deceptive in the way you advertise and market your product?
All of these factors express to the world what you think of your product or service, your customers, and yourself. And all of them get noticed. The old advertising slogan, "You tell two friends, and they'll tell two friends, and so on, and so on," truly applies for every business. It can be a slow process; but it does happen.
To some, the idea that others are talking about them or their product may sound scary. But it really is an opportunity. Think about how many ways you can market without spending any more money! The better you treat all your stakeholders - including yourself - the better your "marketing" will be. (And others will be doing it for you.)
George Torok, Co-author
Secrets of Power Marketing
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Frank C. Buckley on Power Marketing
I am so pleased to see that you have captured so much practical advice in Secrets of Power Marketing. You understand and illustrate the importance of being focused, of feeling proud about your product, and connecting with people. It does not take expensive advertising campaigns. It is more important to be unique, be real and be human.
Frank C. Buckley
President
WK Buckley Limited
manufacturer of Buckley's Cough Mixture
"It tastes awful and it works"
Read the rest of Frank Buckley's letter
Monday, May 01, 2006
Secrets of Power Marketing - Introduction
If a man can . . . make a better mouse-trap than his neighbor, the world will make a beaten path to his door.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Once, this statement of Emerson's may have been true. In fact, millions of us were raised on the "theory of the better mousetrap”. Entrepreneurs believe that if they create a great new product or service, someone will invest. PhD’s believe that if they get the best education, they'll get the best jobs. Investors believe that if they find the right company with the best management or product line, they will make a fortune.
In Emerson’s time, that may have worked. Today, experience shows that the world will no longer beat a path to your door just because you are talented. You may be the most highly educated person. The best inventor. The most intelligent thinker. The most artistic painter. But the results speak for themselves. Many people with truly excellent skills are either hurting for business - or driving cabs.
The one common denominator I have found among high achievers in many fields - and I've studied and talked to a great number of them - was not that they were the best at what they do. The key to their success was their ability to market - or be marketed.
"Preposterous," you may say. "Excellence always wins out.” But think about it for a few moments.
Is the best wine the one that sells the most? Do consumers buy the best product or service, or the one that is most cleverly marketed? How many products are successful in the marketplace simply because they were marketed effectively?
Now, I am not suggesting that you sell low-quality products. I want you to do good work. I also want you to do good marketing.
George Torok
co-author, Secrets of Power Marketing
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Once, this statement of Emerson's may have been true. In fact, millions of us were raised on the "theory of the better mousetrap”. Entrepreneurs believe that if they create a great new product or service, someone will invest. PhD’s believe that if they get the best education, they'll get the best jobs. Investors believe that if they find the right company with the best management or product line, they will make a fortune.
In Emerson’s time, that may have worked. Today, experience shows that the world will no longer beat a path to your door just because you are talented. You may be the most highly educated person. The best inventor. The most intelligent thinker. The most artistic painter. But the results speak for themselves. Many people with truly excellent skills are either hurting for business - or driving cabs.
The one common denominator I have found among high achievers in many fields - and I've studied and talked to a great number of them - was not that they were the best at what they do. The key to their success was their ability to market - or be marketed.
"Preposterous," you may say. "Excellence always wins out.” But think about it for a few moments.
Is the best wine the one that sells the most? Do consumers buy the best product or service, or the one that is most cleverly marketed? How many products are successful in the marketplace simply because they were marketed effectively?
Now, I am not suggesting that you sell low-quality products. I want you to do good work. I also want you to do good marketing.
George Torok
co-author, Secrets of Power Marketing
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